We Are The Light

As I have reflected on this past week, I felt so many conflicting emotions....Excitement over the Christmas holiday, joy over watching my kids get excited for "The Elf On The Shelf" (and all his antics), and gratitude over each blessing, big and small.  On the end of the spectrum, I my heart was heavy with such tremendous sadness and grief for every adult, small child, member of the Newtown, CT community. 

I knew I wanted to write about these events.  So many things were running through my  heart....Compassion, Kindness, Empathy, Respect, Living life with a servant heart.

Then I read the following email, and I knew today was about sharing this message. It was sent out by a very wise young man who happens to be a teacher at Avon High School
(here in Avon, OH).  As I read his message, I knew it was originally sent to just a handful of Avon High students.  It has spread rapidly over social media and even caught the attention of local news media....

He is a blessing to his students and his community.
His message may have been sent to his students, yet it transcends all ages....

Subject: Sad, sad day...

Hey Everyone,

I'm sure by now you've heard about the terrible tragedy that took place on Friday at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. A heinous act that was carried out during the very minutes and hours that we were sitting at our own desks in Avon High. By the time it had ended, 26 people had been murdered; 6 adults - teachers, a principal, a school psychologist...; most saddening of all are the deaths of 20 children... kids, ranging between the ages of 5 - 10 years old. This has happened too often during my short career as a teacher, but each new catastrophe fails to bring any less heartache. As an educator, when things like this occur, I feel so terribly bad for not only the students that had their lives taken far too soon (and certainly their families), but also for those students that endured the chaos and have lived to tell about it. The mental anguish they must experience is beyond my comprehension. But even beyond that, I'm heartbroken for each of you and all the students across the nation that are growing up in a world where these situations are an unfortunate reality; increasingly becoming a new norm. I hang my head and think of how much pressure you all must be under; how quickly our society is demanding for you all to grow up, to shed your childhood, your adolescence, and accept the often overwhelming gravity of adulthood. Days like these are sad, sad days for a multitude of reasons.

How We Think = What We Create

First, I want to thank all of the new subscribers joining OPENforChange!  Your support and feedback are received with an abundant amount gratitude! 

I am the proud momma of two very special kiddos.  My daughter is 11 and my son is 8 1/2....and they could not be more different.  This shows up particularly with their academics.  My daughter loves to learn...she is like a sponge.  She is studious, focused, social, confident and I never worry about her educational success.  My "Little Man"....he is very social.  He is kind, thoughtful, compassionate...and did I mention very social? He loves to learn, when it is a topic that interests him.   

He is your typical boy...he runs, jumps and slides everywhere he is going.  He seems to be in a constant state of motion.  He loves legos and loves doing almost anything he can with his hands....coloring, building, molding, constructing, folding...He does not like writing though.  And he does not care for reading much either. His 2nd grade year has been a challenge both in the classroom and at home.  He seems to lack confidence in his capabilities and as his mom, this breaks my heart.  He is so smart and so capable! 

He really doesn't like homework, after all, it interferes with play time, right?  He will do anything to get out of it....anything...negotiate, whine, pout, cry, scream, stomp, slam things...even tell me I am "the meanest mom in the world".

As a parent, setting very clear boundaries has been my priority....and more importantly sticking to them has been the biggest challenge.  I will be the first to admit that there are times when I wanted to throw in the towel if it meant he would stop whining and crying.  I will also admit there are times when I lost my patience...yelled just as loud (or louder), slammed a door just as hard (or harder), and cried just as many tears (if not more).  

Redefine Your Beliefs...Redefine Your Results

I just arrived back from beautiful Tempe, AZ, where I attended my first ever women's retreat.  This retreat was called Beauty Redefined. I had really no idea what to expect, except that my intention was to experience 3 things: Connection, Surrender and Breakthrough.  And....I can say that I definitely experienced all three.  

I took away many lessons from this experience.  One of the main take-aways for me was around how WE (women and men) define ourselves, our worthiness, our value in the world.....the "truth" we hold ourselves too.  Somewhere along our journey in life, we created stories around our abilities, inner resources, skills and talents.  From these stories, we then create judgement around what we accomplish, create, earn, parent, produce, succeed, etc.  Then, we may experience shame....the fear of not living up, not being good enough, not being worthy....then we tell ourselves more stories, and then create more judgement, more shame and the vicious cycle continues..
<SIGH>

The beauty of this is....at any given moment we can choose to rewrite the story.  It really is that simple.  We can choose to redefine our beliefs around what we can accomplish, create, earn...how we can parent, produce and succeed. 

"You weren't an accident. You weren't mass produced.  You aren't an assembly-line product.  You were deliberately planned, specifically gifted, and lovingly positioned on Earth by the Master Craftsman."  ~ Max Lucado

This is true! As Jack Canfield shares in "The Success Principles", believing in yourself is an attitude.  It is a choice.  Whether you grew up in the ideal home with positive, supportive parents; or you grew up in a home where your parents unintentionally passed on the same limiting beliefs they grew up with, YOU and only you can choose the stories and definitions now.  It is now your responsibility to take charge of your own self-concept and your beliefs.